Q: How does a trademark differ from a business name and/or a domain name?

A: A domain name is the part of a Web address that links to a particular IP address of a website. Registering a domain name does not confer trademark rights. A domain name by itself is not enough to obtain trademark rights; the domain name must be used prominently in advertising or other branding to qualify for trademark protection. Similarly, simply registering a business name does not convey trademark rights. The business name must be used in connection with goods or services to be eligible for trademark protection.

Factors to consider in the casino industry may involve how comprehensive and far-reaching online marketing is or is expected to become, whether the general public will recognize the business name as opposed to the casino property name, and whether the marketing strategy is to have multiple domain names or to drive traffic to one main domain name, among other factors.